It’s becoming clear that, in the main, Chattanooga, TN, EPB’s customers really like not only the service they’re getting, but the way they’re getting it.
In a Consumer Reports survey of 172,000 readers, the results of which were released in June, Chattanooga EPB ranked highest in overall customer satisfaction in both TV and internet service.
Barely a month later, J.D. Power has rated Chattanooga EPB tops among mid-sized utilities (100,000 customers to 499,999 customers) utilities in the South for reliability and customer service.
Now in its 18th year, the J.D. Power Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study measures customer satisfaction with electric utility companies by examining six factors – power quality and reliability; price; billing and payment; corporate citizenship; communications; and customer service.
Satisfaction is calculated on a 1,000-point scale; with a score of 737, Chattanooga EPB ranked behind only Clark Public Utilities (743) in Vancouver, WA, among utilities of comparable size nationwide. J.D. Power’s 2016 study results are based on responses from 101,138 online interviews conducted July 2015 through May 2016 among residential customers of 137 electric utility brands across the United States, which collectively represent more than 97.7 million households.
“It’s hard to overstate how important consistent and proactive communications are to alleviate the frustration customers feel when they experience any kind of power interruption,” said John Hazen, senior director for utility practice at J.D. Power.
“People rely so heavily on electric power, which is why providers are under such intense scrutiny when something goes wrong. Because customer expectations continue to increase, you need to have a mindset of continuous improvement to keep up. Improving the accuracy and the amount of outage information provided to customers requires an investment by providers, but it’s one with measurable benefits,” Hazen said.